By Tom Peters
NOVA SCOTIA: The province’s seafood sector, valued at an estimated $2.5 billion in 2024, remains the largest seafood exporter in Canada. The United States served as the province’s top market, importing $1.23 billion worth of product, followed by China at $614 million.
While the immediate threat of U.S. tariffs has been temporarily eased with a 90-day pause, a new challenge has emerged: the Chinese government has imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian seafood, steel and aluminum in retaliation for a 100 per cent tariff introduced by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on electric vehicles from China.
“For some reason our federal government saw it fit to upset that apple cart by imposing the tariff (100 per cent) on the electric vehicles from China,” said Ginny Boudreau of Canso, executive director of the Guysborough County Inshore Fishermen’s Association.
The association represents 142 core, multi-species fishing enterprises and over 300 crew members across the region from the Canso Causeway to Liscomb on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore.
Boudreau said the association believes Trudeau’s move may have been an attempt “to appease the new reign of President Trump,” but noted, “we as Canadians don’t see everything that goes on with our federal government, so I don’t see what the benefits are for upsetting China.”
She emphasized that the industry will undoubtedly feel the repercussions of a 25 per cent tariff.
During Donald Trump’s first term, Boudreau said the association began seeking out alternative markets beyond the U.S. in response to tariff threats, turning to China and other countries.
“In 2020, Trump threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico to gain a new trade agreement,” she said. “So, we took our eggs out of the U.S. basket, not all of them, and put them into the Chinese market.”
Which is now itself also under strain.
Boudreau expressed concern about the potential political implications in the current election year.
“We are very concerned now that we are in election mode,” she said. “With the tariffs, who knows how much more will be coming.”
She questioned whether Atlantic Canada’s smaller population and the relatively smaller size of the seafood industry compared to larger sectors like automotive, oil, and potash may leave the region overlooked by federal policymakers.
“Those industries generate a lot of votes,” she said. “And we are geographically removed from the more densely populated areas, so that we (fisheries) may be overlooked.”
Boudreau said she was troubled by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent visit to Nova Scotia, during which he met with Irving Shipbuilding but did not, to her knowledge, meet with representatives from the fishing industry or even the provincial fisheries minister.
“So that in itself gives us additional concern and adds stress and nervousness to an unstable market outlook for 2025,” she said.
According to Boudreau, buyers and processors are also feeling the uncertainty heading into the next season.
“We invested a lot of resources initially into expanding our markets into China and we are concerned. Did the federal government not even look at that? So now we have to invest into other markets, and that costs resources.”
While the federal government has suggested financial support may be coming to help affected sectors, Boudreau said her association has not heard of any specific plans to assist the fishing industry.
Despite these challenges, Boudreau noted one silver lining.
“A large percentage of Canadian seafood products have MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) or sustainability labels, so for us to explore some of these new markets, that is going to go a long way. Many other countries do not have that, and the new markets we are going to are looking for that. So that is a bonus.”
Jordan MacDougall, president of the Inverness South Fishermen’s Association, echoed similar concerns. While he said Canadian seafood doesn’t appear to be “on Mr. Trump’s radar” at the moment, he hopes the U.S. market can absorb the pressure caused by China’s tariffs.
“A majority of our seafood does go to the U.S., like lobster and crab,” he said, noting the Chinese tariffs will likely have a greater effect on niche products such as sea cucumbers.
MacDougall’s association, which represents 110 members from Inverness to Auld’s Cove, is watching the economic climate closely.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed we don’t get into a recession because of the tariff issues.”